The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDI), an autonomous body and not-for-profit institution, set up in 1983, is sponsored by apex financial institutions, namely the IDBI Bank Ltd, IFCI Ltd. ICICI Ltd and State Bank of India (SBI). The Institute is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 and the Public Trust Act 1950. The Government of Gujarat pledged twenty-three acres of land on which stands the majestic and sprawling EDI campus.

Ashoka has forged strategic partnerships with leading global companies, to provide management, communications, finance, and other expertise to the citizen sector. In turn, Ashoka and its vast network share knowledge and opportunities with business partners, expanding the horizons of these pioneering businesses and the people who work for them.